
Malin Åkerström
Professor emerita

Waiting: A Source of Hostile Interaction in an Emergency Clinic
Author
Summary, in English
In a study of a Swedish emergency clinic, it was found that patients' waiting produced different forms of hostile interaction between staff members and patients. A patient's hostility was interpreted as being not only a result of waiting per se but also-and predominantly-due to some features inherent in the relevant situation: the semiotics of space and the organization of waiting. Emotional and interactional responses to patient hostility included invoking counter moralities, adopting a certain style of interaction, and performing minor acts of revenge. The former are analyzed as expressions of veiled hostility, whereas descriptions of acts of revenge indicate the moral boundaries of proper nursing work. In such work, hostile expressivity is characteristically restrained and resentment must be veiled; consequently, Scheler's analysis of ressentiment is applied.
Department/s
- Sociology
Publishing year
1997
Language
English
Pages
504-520
Publication/Series
Qualitative Health Research
Volume
7
Issue
4
Document type
Journal article
Publisher
SAGE Publications
Topic
- Health Care Service and Management, Health Policy and Services and Health Economy
Keywords
- patients
- waiting
- sociology
- hostile interaction
- staff
- sociologi
Status
Published
Research group
- Kriminal- och socialvetenskapligt nätverk
ISBN/ISSN/Other
- ISSN: 1049-7323